Sometimes the simplest of ingredients can produce a dish that's full of interesting flavor, and that was certainly true with this Greek soup made of dried chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans.) The soup would have been a perfect candidate for my new pressure cooker, but I made it before I got the pressure cooker, so I enjoyed the smell of this cooking for several hours. I'm not sure how authentic my take on this is because I combined several recipes to come up with a version that appealed to me, but I loved the flavor of this creamy chickpea soup brightened up with lemon and drizzled with a bit of olive oil.

Greek Chickpea Soup with Lemon and Olive Oil (Revithia)

(Makes about 4 servings, recipe adapted by Kalyn, check after the recipe for soups that inspired my version.)

Pick over dried chickpeas and remove any stones or debris, then put beans in pan and cover with cold water and let soak 12-18 hours. (If you start soaking the beans when you go to bed and then make this soup mid afternoon for the next night's dinner, that's an easy way to manage the long soaking time.) When ready to make soup, drain beans and discard soaking water.

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a heavy dutch oven or soup pot, then add onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until onion is softened but not browned. Add Greek Oregano, parsley, and water, bring to a simmer, then lower heat and simmer gently with the pan covered until beans are very soft. The time this takes will depend on how fresh your beans are, but plan on about 2-3 hours.

When beans are soft, use a blender or immersion blender to puree the mixture until all ingredients are completely blended. (I love my immersion blender, and highly recommend it for pureeing hot liquids like this. If you use a regular blender, be very careful not to fill it too full so the hot liquid doesn't burn you.)

After soup is pureed, add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Then stir in lemon juice and 2 T of the olive oil. Serve hot, with a bit more olive oil drizzled on the top of each serving.

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Aren't chick peas in a soup wonderful? I tried this soup on the Greek island of Sifnos this past summer. Sifnos is home to Revithosoupa and it's a delight being simmered all night in the town bakeries.

Oh, this sounds wonderful. I've been using Alanna's method of cooking beans in the slow cooker. I did chickpeas that way and they turned out very well with no presoaking. Start beans after breakfast and they're ready for lunch.

I'm doing cannelini beans that way today for a soup with butternut squash, diced tomatoes and spinach. Can't wait for lunch!

This soup looks wonderful - great photo. I toss garbanzos into soups a lot, but I have yet to make them the actual star of the soup. Silly me, I can tell I'm missing out - especially since I think you may be the only person who might actually be a bigger fan of garbanzo beans than I am. Of course I'm a lot less inventive with them than you are - half the time I eat them straight from the can. Okay, most of the time I do rinse them first. ; )

I'm glad people are liking the sound of this. Yes, it is a bit like liquid hummus I guess. No garlic, which might even be a good addition. The lemon juice and olive oil are essential (tip from the inspiring recipes.)

I hear I'm not the only one doing a Greek-themed recipe for this week too, which is fun!

when I worked in an Italian restaurant in the Bay Area our chickpea soup was the simplest on the menu & also the best - it is just something about the creamy consistency.I love your olive oil garnish - looks fantastic!

Chick peas and olive oil always reminds me of Tuscany and the rolling hills of poplar trees, even when I see a tin of chick peas in the cupboard! I will busying myself in the kitchen with this on Saturday.thanks ;0)

I have really been working on learning to love chickpeas. The wonderful Spanish paprika-tossed chickpeas tapa that we enjoyed in Boston has really made me think again about incorporating more chickpeas into my cooking.

Kalyn, you are so creative! You have a real knack for finding interesting recipes and flavors that I, in all my hours trolling cookbooks, have never come across! My hubby and I are total chickpea hogs, so this looks like a wonderful way to warm up on a chilly day with something super tasty. Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the nice comments about the soup! I love Greek food of any type.

ValerieAnne, I'm not experienced enough with the pressure cooker to know for sure, but I'd guess since you're going to puree the beans you might cook them as long as 30 minutes in the pressure cooker. You would also use less water, since a lot of water evaporated in the long cooking time. Let me know if you experiment with it, love to hear how it goes.

your wonderful recipes.Plus you never cease to amaze me with your lovely posts, gentle words..I have not been able to post this week.I made a lovely soup but i did not have time to photograph before my friends arrived for our meal.it had lentils and chesnuts. i will make it again and post for next week.

Valentina, you are so sweet! Thanks everyone for the nice comments. My e-mail is still acting up. so I'm not getting the notifications and doing a bad job of responding, but I do appreciate everyone who comments!

I made this soup last night, and was a little disappointed in the flavor until i stirred in a little feta after serving the soup, that really punched it up. Also noticed that the soup seems to want to separate, did you find this when you made it Kalyn?

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